Method and apparatus for controlling electric circuits.



or'ro ROTHENSTEIN, or cnio 'co, irrmorsiy nn'rson AND armme'rus ron CONTROLLINQELECTRIC cincui'rs;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1908. 1

Application filed November 1, 1966. Serial No. 341,576.

' paratus for controlling electric circuits in which a conducting liquidas per instance mercury-is used to make and break the circuit, both operations taking place below the level of an inert non conducting fluid, as per instance petroleum.

7 Fl ure 1 is a horizontal section, taken on athe inc S-S Fig. 2, looking downwards.

, Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line E-E of Fig. 1. \'lhe receptacle 3, preferably made of cast iron, is filled in its lower conical part with a conducting liquid 52, preferably mercury, thohnon conducting inert fluid-petroleum or alcohol-filling the other part of the receptacle 3 a s shown in the drawing. The cover 4' is held in place by four screws 16, and the re istering pin 17. Cast in one piece with the cover 4 is the barrel 5 extending nearl to the bottom of rece tacle 3. The 39 barrel 5 is clwed at its top by the flanged V piece 6 containing the bearing 7. The vertical shaft 8 passes through this bearing 7 and has on its lower end the elevatin screw 9, approximately midway the feather ey l0, 3 on its upper end the insulating coupling 11, which connects the shaftto the electric motor 12, the frame of said niotor'being suported by the insulating distance piece 13. mmediately below the bearin 7 are located the acking ing 14, preferably fiber, and a stee collar 15, held in place b the set screw 18. Above the bearing is p aced the fiber washer 19.' The bearing 7 is provided'with the lubricating channel 20, and the oil groove 21. -The hollow trunk piston 22 is ad'usted for a running or sliding fit over the s aft 8 and the featherkey l0, and into the barrel 5. The hollow trunk 'iston 22 is further provided with a num er of small grooves, 23, for the purposeof packing by means of the capillary action of the liquid, 24 is the ball raceway into which fit the balls 25, said balls being also supported by the screws 26 with their jam nuts 27: The 'access for the screws 26 and the balls 25 into the raceway circuit.

24 of the piston 22 -is made possible by thelongitudinal slots 28 0f the barrel 5 The screws 26 with their j aninuts 27 are carried in the threaded ends of the forks 29. The

position of vthis fork 29 is controlled by the.

adjusting screw 30 with its jam nut 32. Said screw 30 being secured to the fork 29 by the tangential pin 31, which fits into a groove of the adjusting screw 30. The barrel 5 is provided with the nozzle 33. Oppo- 55 site to it the anvil 34 is secured to the cover 4 b means of the screw 35, the insulating bus ing 36 and the nuts 58 which also serve as one terminal post. The receptacle 3 rests on a sub-base 37 and is held in place by four 7 set screws 38, which bear upon the conical surface of the rim 39. The receptacle'li also has three radical extensions 40 which serve the double purpose of supporting s'aid-recep I tacle when it 15 handled without the sub-base 37, and facilitating machining during the. process of manufacture. l j

The condenser 46, frequently used with this class of apparatus and consisting of alternate layers of tin-foil and insulating maso terial is placed between the insulating pieces 42 and 43, and is pressed a ainst the abutment 41. of the sub-base 37 y mcans of the screws 44 and 45. The last named screw carries the terninal post 49. One terminal 35 of the condenser 46 is attacliedto this screw. Thus electric connection is established with the sub-base 37 and through the set screws' "38,with the metailic receptacle 3 and the mercury 52 contained therein. The other three screws 44 are preferably flat headed, but all four screws are provided with washers 47 and nuts 48. The second terminal of the condenser 46 is formed by the insulated wire 50, which uses through the insulating bush- 9: ing 51 to t e terminal 58. The hollow piston 22, as clearly shown in the drawing has parts of its wall cut away leavinglthus o eningp, preferably of triangular s ape. r t e sake of convenience and clearness the appa-- 1t ratus shown and described here has a iston with two such openings.

The apparatus works in the following manner: The shaft- 8 is rotated by means of the motor '12. The elevating screw 9 raises the 1( mercury into the hollow piston 22. As lo as an opening of the piston 22 is in line wit the nozzle 33 a stream of'mercury is thrown against the anvil 34, thus closing the electric This stream of the conductingliq- 11 uid-ceases'immediately as soon as thenozzis '38 is covered by the wall of the piston 22,: and

the mass of mercury which forms the connecting tream betweennozzle 33 and anvil turning the adjusting screw 30.

The advantages of my invention are numerous and will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. Some of these advanta es are :-the freedom from explosions, there eing no large bodies revolving within the oil to create spaces in which accumulated gases could be ignited; the contact is broken at two points, and the mercury sinks to the bottom uickly without sputtering "and with very little carbonization of the oil. The-stream of mercury is entirely suppressed during the intervali'of interruption, and the mercury is not uselessly dispersed into small globules during this interval, and the ,emulsification of the mercury, (heavily accelerated by such dispersion), is counteracted in a most economical and efficient manner. The

amount of motive-power consumed is very small, there being no large or unbalanced massesto set in motion. he period of contact and that of interruption can be quickly and exactly varied durm the operation of the device, so that the iest conditions of working may beobtained in any particular case.

The device can be fised to break alternating currents in such a manner that one-half of the wave may be entirely suppressed, the

distortions of the wave-form of the current due to changes of self-induction and capacity being readily corrected. it can also be used in various other ways, and for various purposes, by varying the number or arrange ment-of the nozzles and anvils. In fact, various changes can be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts by those skilled in the art, without departing from the t a ended claims 1 he method of controlling electric cir cuits b directing a stream of conducting ,liquid t ough an inert insulatin liquid, tc-

' wards another fixed terminal suimerged m said inert insulating fluid for the purpose of closing the. circuit, and. sup ressing said stream of conducting liquid a to ether, for

. the purpose of interruptmgthe -e ectric cucuit.

2. The method of controlling electric circuits by directing a stream of conducting liquid through an inert insulating fluid t-os irit and see c of m invention as defined in P y I wards another fined terminal submerged in said inert insulating llllltlfOl thekpurposeof closing the circuit, su'pp're'ssing said stream,

of conducting liquid altogether for the pur pose of'mterrupting the circuit, and varying the period. of time during which said conducting stream lasts or ceases, thereby con-. trolling the character of the current im-I pulses.

3. In an electric current controller: a receptacle, a conducting liquid, an inert fluid,

means to raise the level or the pres ure of the ponducting liquidjwithin a space reserve for-such purpose, means to direct a stream of the conducting liquid towards afixed insulated point immersed in said inert fluid, through said inert fluid, and means to suppress thestream of the conducting liquidduring the time of current interruption and for the purpose of interrupting the circuit.-

4. In an electric current controller: a re-. ceptacle, a conducting liquid, an inert insulating fluid means for raising the conducting liquid within a space reserved for such purpose, meansto direct a stream of the conducting liquid through the inert fluid, to-

. wards an insulated point, submerged in said inert fluid, at the time, and for the purpose of, establishing the circuit, means to suppress the flow of the conducting liquid, at the time, and for the purpose of, interrupting the circuit, and means to. vary therespective 'eriods during which the stream of conductmg liquid lasts or ceases.

5. in an electric current controller: a receptacle containing a conducting liquid of com aratively high specific gravity, an inert insu ating fluid of comparatively low s ecific gravity, a pressure chamber suspent ed therein, means to admit the conducting liquid into said chamber, an elevating devicr within said pressure chamber, an aperture it said pressure chamber, adapted to permit tilt exit of the conducting liquid from said pres sure chamber through the inert insulating fluid towards a contact oint submerged i! said inert insulating fluid for the purpose 0 establishing an electric circuit, means to cu ofi temporarily the pressure or the supply 0 conductin liquid from the aperture of sai pressure c amber, thus stopping the flow c conducting fluid for the purpose of into] rupting the electric circuit.

6. In an electric current cont-roller: a r4 ceptacle containing a conducting liqu d 1 comparatively hi h specific gravity, an me: non conducting fluid of comparatively lo specific gravity, a pressure chamber SUSPGIU ed therein, means to admit the conductir liquid into said pressure chamber contin ously, an elevating device within said char her, an aperture in said pressure chamhr adapted to permit the exit of the conductn liquid from said dpressure chamber throng the inert non con ucting fluid towards a co tact point submerged in said insulating inert fluid, for the purpose and at the time of closing an electric circuit or circuits, means to cut off temporarily the. pressure or the supply of conducting liquid from the aperture in said pressure chamber, thus stopping the exit at the time and for the purpose of interrupting the circuit, and means to vary the periodof flow as Well as the period of'cut off.

7. In an electric circuit controller: a receptacle centaining'a conducting liquid of comparatively high specific gravity, a non conducting fluid of comparatively low. spe cific gravity, :1 cover fitting said receptacle containing in'its center part a barrel extending closely to the bottom of said receptacle, said barrel having an opening on the bottom to admit the conducting fluid, a journal fitting the upper part of said barrel, adapted to receive a rotating shaft provided with a keyway and an elevating screw on its bottom, a hollow piston fitting slidingly over said shaft and into said barrel, an aperture in said barrel and saidpiston, the whole aforesaid structure forming one terminal of an electric circuit: an insulated contact point within the receptacle'but without the barrel and in juxtaposition with the aperture in the barrel, forming the second terminal of an electric circuit, said aperture in barrel and said con tact point being below the level of the non conducting but above the level of the conducting l'luid, and means to rotate said shaft, piston and elevating screw simultaneously thereby directing a stream of conducting liquid from said barrel towards said submerged contact point for the purpose of closing-the circuit as long as apertures in said barrel and iston coincide, and stopping the flow of sai conducting liquid for the purpose of interrupting the electric circuit when said aperture 111 said barrel and said p ston are not in uxtaposition.

8. In an electric circuit controller: a re ceptacle containing a conducting liquid of comparatively high specific gravity, a non conducting inert fluid of comparatively lo specific gravity, a cover fitting closely said receptacle having from its centerpart extending a barrel nearly to'the bottom of said receptacle, admitting thus the conducting liquid into said barrel: a journal fitting the upper part of said barrel, adapted to receive a rotating shaft provided with a feather key and an elevating screw on its lower end; a hollow piston fitting slidingly over saidshaft and key and into said barrel; an aperture of comparatively small area in said barrel, ap ert-ures varying in width throughout their length in the walls of the piston; the whole aforesaid structure forming one terminal ofan electric circuit; an insulated contact point within the receptacle but without the barrel and submerged in the non conducting insulating fluid in juxtaposition with the aperture in the barrel, forming the second terminal of an electric circuit, means to rotate said shaft, piston and elevating screw simultaneously,

in t-hemanner and for the purpose described,

and means to vary the position of said piston and thereby the'relative width of apertures in said piston in reference to the aperture in said barrel, in the manner and 'for the purpose described above.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

- OTTO ROTHENSTEIN.

'itne'sses: 1

GEO. B. BLEMING, H. M. CORWIN. 

